Wednesday, 19 October 2011

It's been on the cards for years now, but things seem to be moving forward on the likelihood of a US remake of E4's superhero drama Misfits. Vulture have reported that Chuck co-creator Josh Schwartz is developing an American version of the BAFTA-winning show (with the help of its British creator Howard Overman), for his production company Fake Empire. Schwarz and Overman are expected to write a spec script together in the next few months, then shop the project to various networks early next year (following the same production path taken by Fox's Touch, NBC's Awake and The CW's Ringer).

I've posted a few articles about the likelihood of a US remake in the past, and they usually inspire lots of negativity in the comments below. Is Gossip Girl's Schwartz the right man for the job? Is it at least promising that Overman will be directly involved at a script level? That didn't seem to help Skins' MTV remake, which likewise kept the British creator involved in its production. Will Misfits USA work on mainstream network like Fox, ABC or NBC? The basic premise of a group of young offenders being given superpowers can be handled in a variety of different ways, but the key to Misfits' success was how raw and gritty the dialogue and character's behaviour was. That suggests this show might only work on a US cable channel, if it stands any chance whatsoever, without just becoming a rather uninspired "bad boy Heroes"-style show.